to live, to trust, to love
by sehellys
Summary: Kakashi and Anko are on a dangerous mission to take care of a rogue ninja from Iwagakure
1. prologue

**to live, to trust, to love**

ohh, alright so it is a clichee-title, but i was in a hurry and couldn't think of anything else...

anyway this is for fire.elve my cute little sister who actually makes me write ff's and who desperately needed some cheering up after her exams. and since she's a huge ankashi fan, what do you expect, well i tried my best! - (if you like AnKashi or GenShi-pairings check out her stories they're great!)

hope you like it!

**Prologue**

The sun shone down on Mitarashi Anko as she walked the streets of Konoha heading for her favourite dumpling store. She'd just met her best friend Kurenai, but as she had been in the company of Asuma, Anko had thought it better not to ask her to get her the dumplings as she'd usually do. No, in her opinion, Kurenai needed the time she was off mission and had a genin-free day to take a walk with the tall ninja she'd never actually admit to dating. A pity, Anko thought that both of them were too damn stubborn to admit their true feelings for each other and to care a little more about their social life than their missions. Then again, she wasn't much better Anko had to admit. The whole village knew her, regarded her as a noisy, insensitive yet talented ninja, and only very few dear friends like Kurenai knew her better than that. She only felt comfortable in the company of few of her colleagues, training with Asuma, bantering with Genma and Kakashi, or strolling the woods with her red-eyed best friend. And though she knew that she was very popular with most male inhabitants of the village, she'd never actually thought about bonding. Not once since the time she'd been left by Orochimaru, her former sensei, or rather the day she'd left him. The trust she'd misplaced in him was something that she felt like she'd never regain it again. That was why she only made few friends, never tried to get along with most people, for once she'd place her trust in someone, she'd remain fiercely loyal and she never wanted to miscalculate someone ever again.

She shook her head to rid herself of the dark memories that had come so sudden and unbidden, it would do her no good to dwell in the past and self-retrospectives. She should rather concentrate on the things that everyone knew her for: her lively spirit and her mischief, or as she'd like to put it, her charm. She'd long since planned to 'help' Kurenai with her relationship with Asuma, the fact that she'd also betted Genma a dumpling-menu on the first time they'd kiss was of course to be considered as well. Maybe she should enlist the help of their silver-haired colleague, Kakashi. Anko thought about the perverted Ninja for a while, he was one of those few she considered as her friends, and, what was almost as hard to accomplish, as a great ninja. When they were younger and both still in the ANBU squad they'd had missions together and she'd come to trust him and his amazing abilities with her life. Coming to think about his habit of never showing his face, Anko wondered why she'd always perceived him as being handsome. Now if she had been interested in dating someone…

Anko shook her head again even more forcefully this time, where had that thought come from? Maybe the summer's heat made her a little light-headed. It was about time when she arrived at the dumpling-shop and ordered a share.

When she'd finished her favourite meal, altogether in a better mood now that she'd eaten, she found a note added to her bill. Simply fantastic, she thought ironically, just when she thought she'd have some time to meddle with the love-life of her friends, she had to get a mission.

Sighing audibly and paying, Anko left the shop to walk the streets of Konoha again, this time heading for the Hokage's office. The curiosity finally got the better of her and she wondered what kind of mission awaited her this time.

tbc

so that's the prolouge any action will start in chapter one, I'm doing my best to update soon (reviews help with that g)... see you next chapter


	2. Chapter 1: starting the mission

To live, to trust, to love

Chapter 1: starting the mission

A/N: so here is the second chapter, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, it would have taken me even longer to update without your wonderful support. I'll still try updating sooner next time. :o)

When Anko entered the Hokage's office she was surprised to see Kakashi already there, she acknowledged him with a brief nod and approached her village's leader.

Tsunade didn't wait for courtesies but adressed her immediately: "Anko, I got a mission for you. A missing-nin is roaming the lands around Konoha, killing at will, our sentries report him to be a S-rank-criminal, by the name of Koji Inamoto. I see you remember him."

Anko's eyes had widened in disbelief at hearing that name, Inamoto had once been an ANBU of Iwagakure, both talented and cruel beyond measures. He had been one of the greatest rivals and the greates risks to Konoha-ninja then. During the time she herself had still been in the ANBU-squad she had met him once on a mission, had escaped his efforts to kill her and her teammate barely and had left him behind – wounded and angry. Rumour had it that he survived that but had lost it afterwards, left his ninja-village and became a criminal always looking for the next kill. That man was insane!

Then again it was her job to eliminate exactly those kind of bastards, and she would do so without hesitation. Anko stored her memories at the back of her mind and replaced them with fierce determination, waiting for Tsunade to continue.

"You and Kakashi will travel southwards, to the last place he's been spotted", Tsunade handed them the files, containing the missions details, "the two of you defeated him once, I'm positive you'll do so again. But be careful this is an S-ranking mission, and I can't spare the ninjas to start a rescue mission, just make sure, I won't have to."

The Godaime looked at each of them sternly, revealing the true danger of this mission. She had complete faith in the two shinobi standing in front of her, but even the fact that she had to send both of them on the same mission, spoke of the threat their enemy might pose to them and the whole village.

Both Jounins answered her glares with a tight nod and left the room in silence. They needed to prepare things now, and then set out on their mission as soon as possible. They agreed to meet at the gates in an hour and seperated.

- - ' - -

While retrieving and packing the things she'd need for the upcoming mission, Anko's thoughts drifted once again to the mission back in her ANBU years when she'd first met Inamoto.

It had been an assassination mission, or rather an assassination attempt, for Koji Inamoto had already waited for her and her teammate Kakashi and had prepared one hell of a welcome for them. The following days, playing hide and seek in the forest with Iwa's homicidal maniac had indeed been like hell, especially since she had been injured in the commencing attack.

Tsunade was right, they had defeated him, more or less, back then. But they hadn't even had the chance to finish it once and for all, instead they'd had to flee when his backup had shown up. It was a hard walk back to Konoha, not only was their mission unfinished, but both of them were injured and in dire need of medical treatment. All in all, the mission was a complete failure, their target still alive just as their worst opponent. Luckily the same went for them.

Anko shook her head vigorously again, which was starting to become a habit she mused. But at least it helped clear her thoughts of that failed mission and the screams and threats from Inamoto that had followed their retreat until they were well out of hearing distance. She shuddered still when she thought about the demonic noises that rose from that man's throat, for more than the reason that he had almost killed them.

It was the fact that it reminded her of Orochimaru and the nightmares that still haunted her. Inamoto and her former sensei had too much in common, it had troubled her back on that last mission and she feared it might do so again.

Anko bit her lip subconsciously, no! she wouldn't let that happen. She would finish this mission with Kakashi just like any other mission, quick and clean. It was the easiest way to put an end to the bad memories she linked with that man.

Grabbing her kunais from the night stand she stowed them in her pack and left her apartment. Now completely focused on her new mission, radiating efficiency and determination. This mission would be finished soon, she and Kakashi had worked together often and were a good team, well capable of defeating their opponent. She just had to hold onto that thought.

TBC

A/N: alright so next chapter the action and suspense will begin - hopefully. waaah i'm really afraid of having to write action/fighting scenes... but i guess it would be a whole lotta easier if you pressed that cute purple button and review :o)


	3. chapter 2: through the gates of Konoha

**To live, to trust, to love**

**A/N: I am very very sorry for taking so unbelievably long with this, I'd like to say thank you to all my reviewers, without your lovely words I would have continued this only had my sister forced me too . Once again I am sorry for taking so long, I promise the next chapter won't take that long. Also this is for m,y little sister and greatest fan , Happy 4th of Decmeber.  
**

Chapter 2: through the gates of Konoha

Anko approached the city's gates, her pack casually slung over her shoulder. She had changed into the typical jounin-attire, vest and all. It was a practical measure, while traveling through the forest her long coat would only hinder her movements and bare legs would attract scratches almost miraculously. And then there was the advantage of pockets camouflaging colours to consider.

She walked on, already focused on the mission ahead, barely acknowledging the villagers and ninjas she passed on her way towards the gate.

Her lips were set in a tight line, looking rather out of place4 on her usually mischievous face, and she stopped for a moment when she noticed this. The mission was definitely getting to her, a lot more actually than she cared to admit or was comfortable with. She had to do something to lighten her mood before setting out, she decided. The telltale wicked smile spread across her face and every ninja in Konoha knew that that meant trouble, even the villagers she passed were making more room for her than was strictly necessary, it seemed.

If possible, her grin even widened, lending her an almost devilish appearance, when she saw her fellow special jounin, Shiranui Genma, round a corner to pass onto her street only a few paces in front of her, totally oblivious to her presence it seemed.

'Just perfect', she thought as an idea formed in her mind. With lightning speed she raced at the longhaired ninja, he noticed her incoming attack though, and dodged equally fast, only to play right into Anko's hand. She had expected him to dodge in that direction and so, when her fist passed his face at merely an inch's distance, his own fault for wanting to look smart with only avoiding as barely as possible, she opened her fist and snatched his senbon from the corner of his mouth. Not stopping her momentum she sped past him and on along the street. He had no chance to speed after her.

Further down the street Anko eventually stopped and turned around and waved to him in good-bye. She couldn't hear what he called after her, but she could imagine the creative threats he came up with. Carefully she tucked the senbon in one of her vest's pockets, keeping it as a good-luck-charm for her mission. Whenever her mood would turn foul she'd just take a look at it and remember the look on Genma's face when she had snatched it right out of his mouth. The only problem would be avoiding his revenge when she returned to Konoha, but she could worry about that later.

- - ' - -

When she arrived at the gate, decidedly more cheerful, she was not surprised to see Kakashi just arriving as well, she knew him well enough to know that he was never overly much too late for an important mission, and she had purposefully taken a little longer herself, therefore giving him the time needed to pay a visit to his friend's grave.

He nodded at her, and though she was never sure with that mask of his, she had the distinct impression that the hint of a smile was hidden beneath it. Anko met his expression with one of her impish grins looking almost eager to start the mission. Kakashi's eyes lingered on her a moment longer, searching for any traces of uncertainty or worry. He was relieved when he didn't find any.

"Here we go!" Anko exclaimed, sounding almost like a Genin on his first mission, but then again she had a habit of behaving like one all the time. And without a last glance back at the village they set out and melted into the shadows of the trees.

The traveled a high pace for the rest of the day making good progress, steadily approaching their destination. When night fell and it became too dark to navigate within the trees, they made camp, quickly building a small tent. They would not light a fire, for even though still well within the borders of Hi no Kuni, they had long left the better-protected woods surrounding Konoha. So they just ate their cold provisions silently, sitting side by side on a fallen log near their tent. They had set traps in the immediate vicinity of their camp, it never hurt to be cautious.

The wind rustled the leaves above their heads, the only sound in the eerie silence of the surrounding forest, safe for the occasional hooting of an owl. Overall, it gave the forest the distinct impression of being completely bereft of life, safe for Anko, Kakashi and that owl.

Once finished with their silent meal, Kakashi retrieved the scroll concerning their mission from his backpack, using this opportunity to plan the next day of their mission. In the soft light of two candles that Anko had lit, he checked their current position on the map, comparing it to their destination – the last confirmed whereabouts of Koji Inamoto.

"If we set out at first light we'll arrive there, approximately an hour before midday.", the silver haired jounin informed his companion. Both of them knew that their opponent would probably be long gone from there, the information was three days old at least, but with just a bit of luck he had left some kind of trail, that would grant them the opportunity to follow him.

Anko nodded, "That will give us enough time to find traces of him"; she acknowledged, eager to end this mission as soon as possible. If they were able to confront him that next day already the inevitable fight would see the end of their mission, for better or worse.

They extinguished the candles and prepared to settle in for the night, despite the seeming peacefulness of the forest deciding to share guard duties. Anko would take the first watch, leaving Kakashi to rest for now, before taking the second shift. That would grant both of them some hours of safe sleep, which they would need in their search for and their possible confrontation with their enemy the coming day. Little did they know that their rest would be almost as short as the search for their opponent.

**A/N: I know I promised action, well there was that snatching-the-senbon-scene , the real fighting will commence after the next chapter promise  
**


	4. chapter 3: dark before the storm

**To live, to trust, to love**

A/N: alright the last chapter before the action will actually take place, it even has a cliffie . Now i'm really scared of writing the action-scenes so i don't know when i'll get it done and will be able to update (reviews will probably make me write faster )

anyway on with the story, enjoy! (and a happy 8th of december )

**Chapter 3: calm before the storm**

Intertwining her fingers and stretching her arms out in front of her, Anko tried to relax a bit. As the night stretched on, dark and unchanging she was beginning to get really bored. And since they hadn't even lit a fire, nothing but the moon and the stars illuminated their small camp and the oppressing solidity of the surrounding forest.

She took the senbon, which she had just recently stopped playing with and got back to twirling it in her fingers. Earlier she had tried to chew on it as Genma always did, but after she had cut her tongue the second time she found that it wasn't nearly as relaxing as she had always assumed. Stifling a sigh of boredom, Anko looked at her hand, watched the soft light of the sky reflect from the surface of the needle-like weapon. Anko was glad that it paid her company, it helped to keep her thoughts from their possible encounter with Inamoto the next day. Gazing at the senbon she had to remember the way in which she had gotten into its position and the infamous Anko-smirk stole onto her face. There was nothing quite as funny to Anko as teasing her friends.

Her gaze shifted towards her sleeping teammate, another one of her dearest friends. Over the last years she had come to know him better than most and she could neither describe nor explain the connection that seemed to exist between them. The deep trust they now felt for each other had developed from the mutual respect they had gained during their first few missions. It allowed for the two of them to be ideal coworkers in every mission, practically knowing the other's thoughts and intentions.

Watching the reassuring rise and fall of her silver-haired teammate's chest, knowing him to be attentive and alert even in sleep, Anko started to recall some of their prior missions together, wondering just when their work together had formed such a deep friendship. The night stretched on, quiet and cold, but with warm memories, even though some of them were decidedly scary. It helped her to quench her worries and concentrate on her surroundings.

Her senses were sharp and she was always prepared for an attack. Though no unanticipated sounds reached her ears, and she could feel no evil presence, she had the sensation that something was not quite as it should be. Nocturnal animals made few sounds and their camp was not in a lively part of the forest, so the lack of their noises was not something that worried Anko overly much, if she watched out for it she could hear some of the silent predators soaring the sky over the higher branches and their prey fleeing on fast, silent feet. The nature seemed harmonic indeed, nothing here caused her unease.

She was about to discount her discomfort as simple superstition when a sudden shiver raced down her spine. Twirling up and about she practically jumped to her feet, Kunai ready she checked with one look, that she had woken Kakashi with her sudden movements. Facing the impenetrable forest she stood in the dark, her light frame sparsely illuminated by the moonlight. Her body was tense, all her muscles taut like a bowstring and she focused her intense brown gaze on the undergrowth in front of her. A dark feeling of dread seemed to emanate from there, rippling waves of dark intent.

Kakashi appeared by her side, weapons in hand and sharingan revealed, he too could feel the looming threat. Like that they stood in the darkness, not moving for minutes, just trying to penetrate their opponent's hiding place with their gazes and preparing for the incoming attack.

But the undergrowth proved to be too thick to give away their enemy's position and even though they expected the attack, all hell broke loose when it finally came.


	5. Chapter 4: attack of the clones

**To live, to trust, to love**

_this chapter is dedicated to my reviewers and especially to fire.elve, who never stopped believing in this story (I hope) _

_oh and forgive me the shamelessly stolen chapter title, it's , of course, not mine  
_

**Chapter 4: attack of the clones**

All around the clearing, the undergrowth erupted in copies of Koji Inamoto. Some of them disappeared almost immediately with the reassuring sound of a well-set trap going off. But in the end that did little good, they were still surrounded and vastly outnumbered.

The multiple clones of the missing-nin of Iwagakure stared at them through the dark shades hiding their eyes, guarding against the harsh light, he would suffer through daytime. Koji Inamoto was a genius when it came to earth-based nin-jutsu and though he was comparably weak in hand-to-hand battles it was hard to engage him in one. He would rather attack from beneath the ground, using decoys and long range weapons than show himself at all. And even if he would fight by himself the brute strength of his left arm, which seemed to be completely turned to stone, were a force to be reckoned with. They made up for the expertise he lacked in close combat.

Waiting for the incoming attack, ready to deflect any kunai or shuriken that the clones might throw at her Anko tried to devise a strategy. She irked to attack immediately, to not let Inamoto have the advantage of the first strike. But she knew, in dealing with multiple opponents, even if they were mere copies and did not possess the original's full strength, it was prudent to build a strong defense. They would have to wait for inconsistencies in the clones' attack, for possible faults that would give them the opportunity to counterattack.

With Kakashi at her back, Anko did not fear the clones; he would spot the real Iwa-nin, the only one they had to kill to finish this mission, should he show himself. Standing back-to-back the two Konoha-nin turned their focus once around the whole clearing, trying to find the best place to strike.

Behind Anko Kakashi swore silently before confirming what they had both expected, "He's not among them, these are all copies."

The moment the words had left Kakashi's mouth, their opponents set into motion, to attack them in groups of five or six, locking them in hand-to-hand combat, while the rest stood back, ready to throw a kunai at the Konoha-nin or aid their comrades in battle.

Anko met her opponents head on. Ducking under the attacks that rained down upon her from the sides, she rolled behind one of her attackers, mindful of the clones at her back. When he swirled, raising his kunai to strike her from above, Anko smirked up at him. She liked these clones, they were slow and predictable. She reached up to grab his wrist and stopped his strike with practiced ease. In one fluent motion she took the kunai from him and thrust it deep into his chest. Predictably the clone dispersed at the physical harm done to it and it dispersed into a cloud of dark dust. Never stopping in her momentum she turned around and threw the kunai at the opponent to her right, silently the sharp blade buried itself in its shoulder, before it, too, dissipated. Forming the proper seals, Anko summoned her two snakes to her other arm and send them at the clones behind her. Snapping jaws went straight for jugular veins and almost severed heads before the assaulted copies of Koji Inamoto crumbled to dust, just as their companions had.

Anko turned around to face her remaining opponents, still trying not to expose her back to their shuriken-wielding brothers. But suddenly a sharp pain in her right thigh threw her off balance and brought her to one knee, as her injured leg gave out beneath her.

Anko's frantic thoughts tried to get a grip of the situation and not to let her opponents get the better of her now. Ruthlessly she pushed the pain aside and got into a defensive position to thwart any further attacks.

'Where the hell did that come from?'

She was certain that none of 'her' opponents had thrown that weapon and a quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that Kakashi handled his side of the battle field pretty well, there was no way that he'd just let a kunai slip past him.

That left only one possibility, Inamoto had gotten bored with watching his clones fight for him and decided to take action. He used their blind spots to attack them unawares.

'Damn this earth-jutsu!' Cursing their bad luck, Anko refocused her attention on beating the copies of her real opponent, while keeping her blind spots covered as good as she could. 'If there ever was a time I wanted to be a Hyuuga, this is it.'

Kakashi had already drawn those opponents to him, who had formerly seemed content with staying back and waiting for an opportunity to throw a shuriken at him. They had soon realized that he wouldn't give them such an opportunity. The Sharingan allowing him to see the pattern of the clones' movements and thus to dodge their attacks and undermine their defenses.

After he had disposed of his first three opponents with a single strike, the other clones had decided to attack him with combined forces. He quickly dispatched of another two of his opponents before he had to block the first attacks. Kunai met kunai with enough force to send vibrations down both opponents' arms and Kakashi hastily did a back flip to escape the clones, which closed in from the sides. The moment his feet touched safe ground once more he propelled himself forward, right into and through the first clone, as it crumbled to dust.

The dark particles puzzled Kakashi, never before had he encountered copies made of such material, but Inamoto was a shinobi from Iwagakure and as such highly skilled in stone-based nin-jutsu. He had to wonder about the exact quality of the dust after the fight.

As he lifted his kunai to block a strike aimed for his head, a shout from Anko drew his attention: "Inamoto is definitely hiding in the ground." It was all she said, but confirmed both of their suspicion that he'd turn underground for a safe place to avoid close encounter with his enemies.

A look back at the kunoichi revealed where she'd gotten her information. Anko had been hit, and regarding the angle of the kunai that still stuck in her thigh; Inamoto had thrown it from his hiding place. Despite the injury Anko still fought valiantly against her opponents, who had also gathered for a combined attack.

As he turned around the glimpse of something metallic was the only thing that alerted him to the three kunais coming straight at him. Even with his Sharingan it was hard to evade them and the momentum drove him directly into his dusty opponents. They would not let such an opportunity by; two of them delivered shallow cuts to his chest and left arm before he could bring his own kunai up and kill them. But he knew, that with Inamoto hiding underground he had to end this quickly.

He feigned an attack to his opponents' right flank only to veer off in the last moment and to use his momentum to leave halfway up the closest tree. Using little chakra to keep contact with the tree, he focused the rest of it into his right palm. The chakra concentrated into barely compressed lightning, fighting for freedom with the voices of a thousand angry birds.

Kakashi bounded down the tree and towards the replicas, Chidori effortlessly cutting through them and their pathetic defenses. He took care of his opponents, then, carried onwards by the momentum, he reduced those still held at bay by Anko to feeble clouds of dust.

The flow of chakra to his hand stopped, and Chidori's cries died as silence once again claimed the clearing.

Kakashi checked Anko over for any more injuries than the glaringly obvious and was glad to find none. Refocusing on the clearing he searched in vain for any sign of their real opponent. The black dust settled upon them and Anko fought to get it off her clothes, but merely succeeded in smearing it across her arms and vest.

That was when the smell first registered.

Inamoto's hollow laugh and Anko's panicked shout of "Gunpowder!" were the only sounds before a giant explosion turned the clearing into hellish inferno.

TBC

_please review and tell me what you think and I promise I'll update again next week . All the best to all of you_


	6. Chapter 5: earthjutsu

**To live, to trust, to love**

_AN: since this story began I had two readers who __reviewed every chapter, one of them was fire.elve who encouraged me to write this story. The other was rivendellelve, so this time I'd like to dedicate this chapter to rivendellelve. Thanks for your support. And thanks to everyone else who reviewed this story so far. _**  
**

**Chapter 5: ****earth-jutsu**

It was all Kakashi could do, to grab onto Anko and collect as much chakra as possible beneath his feet and eject it in one powerful burst that sent them both high into the air and away from the explosion.

They were still too close.

Fire seared across their bodies and clothes. Unbearable heat overwhelmed their senses and stole their breath away. Flames danced across Kakashi's gloves but they protected his hands from most of their destructive power. Instinctively he tightened his grip on Anko, shielding her from the explosion with his whole body, hoping that it would be enough to shelter her from its destructive power.

Anko's leg flared with pain as the kunai, which was still embedded in it, was ripped from the wound by the sheer force of the explosion. Flames crawled up her trousers, setting her weapons pouch aflame and threatening to do further harm to her already injured leg. Kakashi's grip around her tightened as she thrashed around, fighting to extinguish the flames. She succeeded only in burning her hands as well.

And then the shockwave hit them.

What little orientation they'd had was lost as the invisible force slammed into them, hurling them all across the clearing. The shockwave tore at their bodies, tossing them around like discarded rag-dolls and accelerating them even further, until one of the trees ended their flight abruptly.

Kakashi's back slammed painfully into the solid wood and he could feel one or two ribs giving way when Anko's weight slammed into him mere parts of a second later. The shockwave passed them by, keeping them pinned to the tree about ten feet off the ground.

When the torrent of air and flames had finally subsided they slid down the trunk. The rough bark bit harshly in Kakashi's vest and the skin beneath it as he fought to keep a steady chakra-flow between his back and the tree to slow their descent. Eventually they stopped as they met a sturdy branch that would support both their weight.

Taking a few seconds to assess their injuries and surroundings revealed they were directly at the corner of the clearing. Obviously they had hit the first tree that got in their way.

And they were both quite badly beaten.

The ghastly wound in Anko's leg was still bleeding freely and both her legs and her hands were covered with mild burns. Her weapon's pouch was badly damaged and apparently the only weapon she had left was the kunai she still clutched in her hand. She knew her wounds would hinder her but she was still able to summon most of her strength, she just had to make all attacks count.

When she turned around to look at Kakashi she noticed that he had tried to get in a more comfortable position on their branch. The way he leaned heavily against the trunk while favoring his left side, belied broken ribs and even though she could see no obvious wounds, no flowing blood, she knew that he was the worse for wear. As their eyes met Anko realized that he had used his Sharingan the whole time, coupled with the Chidori and the Chakra he had spent to save both of them from the explosion and its aftermath, his chakra was probably all but spent. Even though the mask still covered half his face she swore she saw the pain filled wince whenever he moved too much.

Worry filled the kunoichi's eyes and slowly she made her way along the branch to throw a look at the clearing. Anger rose inside her, anger towards the man who had done this, the man who stood – as she suddenly realized - in the middle of the clearing, mocking them, daring them to attack him again.

'Koji Inamoto', Anko's fight to keep her emotions in check was in vain, as she very well knew. 'I will kill you!'

Kakashi threw a worried look at his partner, despite her obvious injuries she seemed about ready to jump down to the ground and throttle Inamoto with her bare hands. And given the state she was in that would be a foolish thing to do, even by Anko-standards. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder as much to restrain her from any foolish actions as to ascertain himself that she was still alive and relatively well at his side.

He hadn't realized until now, just how close they had come to meeting a fiery end.

His hand tightened around her shoulder, resolutely calling her attention away from the still gloating missing-nin. Kakashi wanted to make sure that she would not do anything rash and expose herself to more danger than necessary. He would be damned if he lost another one of his trusted friends, least of all to another Iwa-nin.

They would defeat Inamoto - and for good, this time – if they could just get past his guard. Throwing a sideways glance at Anko he noticed that she had calmed down considerably and was looking at him questioningly.

"It is the real one this time", he acknowledged her unspoken question. "But he's probably got the whole clearing rigged with tunnels; we'll never get close enough to use our tai-jutsu, especially not if we just barge in head-on."

Anko sighed; her teammate was, of course, right and she had noticed his little sideswipe at her rather rash temper. "So what do we do?" Anko asked; it was needless to point out that long-distance attacks wouldn't help them either. She swore silently under her breath and despite the situation Kakashi had to smile at the colorful words she used, they were so much like her.

"What about it, mighty Konoha-nin? Too stunned to attack or too scared?" Inamoto's voice cut through the air of the silent clearing, taunting the two shinobi. He could see them as clearly as they him, for neither party had tried to conceal themselves. In his current mood it was just a matter of time until the Iwa-nin who was halfway turned to stone himself would stop waiting and attack them openly.

And that was what Kakashi was waiting for.

"He'll probably attack with an earth-based nin-jutsu. I will copy and conquer it to provide you with enough cover to get into close range", the silver-haired jounin explained his plan. He threw an uneasy look at the wound in her right thigh and when he leveled his gaze back at her she could read the unspoken question in his eyes. He worried if she would manage the battle by herself in her current condition.

Anko did the only thing she could think of dispel the dreary mood. She gave him an impish 'Anko-trademark' grin and winked at him. "If you have enough chakra left to copy his attack, then I'll have enough strength to take care of him – once and for all"

It was a poor attempt to hide her own worries for her teammate's condition and she knew it. But Kakashi nodded in acquiescence.

Their plan was set.

"Well, then, if that's what you want." Inamoto had finally lost his patience and was already rapidly forming seals, unaware of Kakashi copying every move.

Anko anticipated the final sign to launch herself from the tree and at their opponent, so she hit the ground seconds before two gigantic earth-dragons rose from the ground to fill the space of air she had just vacated. Hitting the ground Anko had to grit her teeth against the pain that ran up and down her leg. Wasting no time, she pushed off the ground, using all the speed she could muster to reach Inamoto before he became aware of her approach.

Huge chunks of damp earth rained down upon the young kunoichi as the two dragons met and destroyed each other. Inamoto swore audibly and tore his eyes away from the tree in which he could now see only one of his two attackers. For one terrible moment Anko's determined eyes met his crazed ones, and she knew she'd be too late.

Taking a casual step back, he vanished into the ground. Before Anko could reach his former position, he had already barred the entrance with solid rock.

'Damn those Iwa-nin and their earth-jutsus!' Anko thought as she slowed down, uncertain of her next step of action.

Suddenly a giant rock-formation rose from the ground behind her. A huge snake lunged for her. Anko barely dodged the attack but was forced to evade intricately as more and more of these monstrosities appeared. The thought occurred to her that she was deliberately led into a trap, but it was too late as a stony hand wrapped around her ankle an earthen walls rose around her to close her in.

TBC

_**greetings to everyone who reads this, feel free to review if you can spare the time. **_


	7. Chapter 6: reckless fool

**To live, to trust, to love**

_There you go, I apologize for the long wait. This is the last chapter before the epilogue, enjoy! _**  
**

**Chapter 6: reckless fool**

An eerie laugh echoed from the sides of her soon to be prison, contorted by the curving walls that were about to close above her. Anko raised her eyes to get a glimpse of Kakashi, but couldn't see her silver haired partner anymore. Instead she found something else blocking her view of the night sky.

She threw her hands over her head and cowered down, just before a giant water dragon came crashing down upon her prison. The earthen walls were washed away and the missing-nin loosened his grip around her ankle. The force of the water based nin-jutsu had hit him even in the shallow depth of his cavern. Too stunned to stop her retreat, Inamoto could do nothing as the kunoichi made her way back to her teammate's side. 

"I could have done without getting wet, you know", she told Kakashi as a manner of greeting, before adding a heartfelt, "Thank you." 

Her eyes met his and she could see the strain in them, he was definitely running low on chakra. Anko didn't even want to consider what the water-dragon had cost him – s far away from any water source. Gently, she reached for his forehead protector and tugged it down to cover his Sharingan once more. Meeting his confused gaze with a simple 'Anko-smirk' she shrugged the lingering question off. 

"So what do we do now?" Silence met her question and the kunoichi could tell that her silver haired companion had yet to come up with a new plan. "We're pretty much screwed, aren't we?" 

He nodded almost imperceptibly, Anko was right. With Inamoto hidden beneath the ground they could not attack him, couldn't even be certain where he was. The only time when he had come even close to the surface had been when he was certain of his victory after he had caught Anko in his well-set trap. And even then it had only been his stone-covered left arm; he had practically still been out of combat-range. And those weren't the worst of their worries. 

His chakra-level was running dangerously low and he wondered how much longer Anko's leg would be able to support her weight. He knew the energetic kunoichi well, had seen her moves countless times during missions or friendly sparring matches, and she certainly wasn't up to her usual strength anymore. And even though their opponent was 

most likely low on chakra as well, they could not use it to their advantage as long as he had the advantage of a perfect hideout. Kakashi had to come up with a plan, and fast.

His mind formed vague outlines of strategies but he discarded them all for too little chance of success before contemplating them further. And then he noticed something that let his blood run cold. A feral grin had stolen across Anko's features, a sure sign that she was about to do something incredibly foolish (or annoying, or – in most cases – both). 

She threw a sidelong glance at Kakashi and when their eyes met, he could see a mix of emotions in hers. Excitement and anger towards their opponent but also worry for his health seemed to be reflected in the brown depths. The silver haired jounin wondered for a second if he really looked strained enough to garner such a look. 

Before he could reach out a hand to hold her back, before he could even say a word, she had pushed herself off the branch and landed on the clearing below. Ignoring the throbbing of his broken ribs and the angry objections of his injured back he took off after her. The pain didn't matter right now, nothing mattered but saving Anko from her own recklessness. 

A plan had formed in Anko's mind as she'd realized how Inamoto's only vulnerable moment had been when he'd attacked her. True he had still been hidden mostly beneath the earth but coupled with his self-confidence and the fact that he was off the deep end that moment posed a chance to strike. At least it was a possibility, and one that wouldn't force Kakashi to do another high-level nin-jutsu to draw Inamoto out, as Anko was certain Kakashi would have proposed as his next plan. 

Anko approached the centre of the clearing and as she had expected the missing-nin's voice welcomed her. "Back so soon?" The taunting was still there, he was still feeling superior, but that would only work to her advantage.

"Yes", Anko made sure that he could hear the smirk in her voice, "come and get me you freakish-wannabe golem." Her remark seemed to have the desired effect, as accompanied by a cry of anger stone-snakes once again rose from the ground to attack her. 

Anko did not move, but instead formed the proper seals and spit a volley of fireball at the animated earth. As she had expected it little effect on her earthen opponents. But it drew another hollow laugh from her opponent. 

He seemed to be certain of his victory, which was what Anko wanted. Overconfident shinobi tended to make mistakes. 

The Konoha-nin performed a hasty backflip to escape the attack of a stone-snake and caught a glimpse of Kakashi landing on the clearing as well. 'Good', she thought, 'let's end this!' But when her feet touched the ground again, her injured leg buckled beneath her and she sank to one knee. 

Inamoto saw the opening and once more his stony left hand closed around her ankle, seizing her so tightly that she could feel her bones shift and finally break under the pressure. Anko bit back a scream as the pain assaulted her.

Dark brown walls rose from the ground to close around her again, but this was the opportunity Anko had waited for. Using the kunai she still held firmly in her hands she thrust it at the patch of earth where she assumed his head or neck would be, close to the place where his arm vanished into the ground. But her weapon met with solid stone and vibrations ran down the length of her arm at the sheer force of the blow.

The kunai broke.

Shrill laughter accompanied her bad luck. "Well, well that was your last weapon, what will you do now Konoha-nin?" The grip around her ankle tightened further, ripping a small scream from Anko's lips as her broken bones ground against each other. The stony prison was all but completely sealed and Anko's weapons spent. In front of her Inamoto's other hand rose from the ground, clutching a kunai of his own. "I'd say you die."

With her foot still caught Anko had no way to dodge the attack nor would she be able to flee on her broken foot. More and more of Inamoto's body rose from the ground, his head and torso finally linked the two arms together. It seemed that he wanted to see her eye-to-eye while he killed her. 

'Sick bastard', Anko thought. But then again it was what she had expected. Clutching onto her actual last weapon for dear life, Anko waited no longer and thrust the senbon deeply into Inamoto's neck. His eyes widened in shock and pain, he brought his right 

hand up to clutch the wound instead of bringing it down to kill her. The walls of her dark prison crumbled along with his concentration. 

And Kakashi was right there behind them. Finally getting the strength to strike at their opponent he took it. He drove his own kunai deep into the missing-nin's back. Anger at having been unable to aid Anko before now lend him the strength to pierce the ribcage clean through and the point of the kunai protruded from the Iwa-nin's chest. Blood splattered onto Anko's feet and legs as the shinobi sank lifelessly to the ground, which still enclosed half of his body. 

His limp fingers released her ankle and as the life faded from their opponent, so did the adrenalin from Anko's body. Worn out she sank to the ground, mindful of her broken bones. Gazing up at Kakashi, she noticed that he looked like death warmed over, but figured that she didn't look much better herself. 

Her teammate shook his silver head, "reckless fool", he chastised, but there was relief and teasing in his voice.

Anko flashed him a smile that matched her answer: "You know, contrary to other shinobi I could name, my pans work."

"You just keep telling yourself that", he replied, joining in on the playful banter that helped to relax both their uneasy nerves. It had been a close call.

Kakashi leaned down to pluck the forehead protector from Inamoto's face; it would work as a proof for their accomplished mission. Then he moved over to pick up Anko.

"Whoa, what do you think you're doing", the kunoichi exclaimed as she squirmed in his grasp. Only silence met her outrage and she had to admit defeat, Kakashi would not let go of her anytime soon. She had to admit that her plan had been a little rash and that she had caused Kakashi to worry when she had rushed headlong into battle again. It was the least she could do not to argue about her condition now, and, truth be told, she could not have walked if she wanted to.

Anko fell asleep in Kakashi's arms even before he reached a decent place to rest for the night and tend to both their wounds.

TBC

_read and review. and thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Stay tuned for the epilogue._


	8. epilogue

**To live, to trust, to love**

**Epilogue**

The journey back to Konoha was aggravating, to say the least. Rested and with their wounds properly treated the two jounin had set out the day after their battle with Koji Inamoto. But even heavily bandaged Anko could not possibly walk on her injured foot, she did, however, try. Her stubborn decision not to let herself be carried all the way back to Konoha was no match for the pain though and grudgingly Anko had to admit defeat.

She was not happy.

He colorful curses and endless ranting filled the forest as she complained about their stupid opponent, her stupid injury and Kakashi's insufferable thick headedness.

The silver haired jounin took all that with stoic silence. He didn't actually mind her tirade, listening to her kept his thoughts away from their last mission and how close it had come to failing. Besides Anko's rantings were amusing at the worst of times, it was just one part of her unique personality, a personality that made her such a valuable kunoichi for Konoha, a reliable teammate and an important friend.

His thoughts were interrupted by Anko, who was just coming up with rather interesting plans to exact revenge upon Godaime for sending them on this blasted mission. Kakashi decided that he'd have to keep a watchful eye on Anko during the future weeks. Who knew what kind of ideas she had in store for the man who'd refused to let her walk on her own.

When they finally arrived back in Konoha Anko had once more fallen asleep in her partner's arms. With a short nod towards the Chunin on guard-duty Kakashi entered the small town. They offered to help him but he reclined and as their worried eyes followed his movements he recognized them as the Hokage's aides. They were friends of Anko, which meant that they were constantly on the receiving ends of her 'happy moods'.

Getting Anko to the hospital had never before been so easy and Kakashi was grateful for small mercies. He felt almost apologetic as he took a last look at her currently peaceful face before handing her over to the medics, though he could not say who he felt sorry for. Anko hated not giving the medics a hard time arguing even more than she hated hospitals as such. Then again she was already starting to stir, which promised a sorrowful future for the medi-nin.

Following another medic into a different exam room Kakashi had had his ribs examined and taped. A few stern looks from one uncovered eye and some well placed arguments, convinced a young medic to send his silver haired charge home instead of keeping him at the hospital.

Kakashi reported in with Tsunade next, relaying a complete mission report and Inamto's forehead protector. The hokage dismissed him, but added a stern order to rest, it was useless to try and hide injuries from the seasoned medical genius.

But rest was an unspecific order and Kakashi had his own definition of the word. Strolling through the village he found a suitable tree, climbed it and settled into a cozy spot. Fishing around in his pockets he retrieved his favourite book, now he was ready to rest.

Anko, on the other hand, was far from resting. Having an infamous reputation certainly could have its disadvantages. The hospital staff had put her foot in a cast and suspended it in midair, more to keep her from moving around than for actual medical reasons, Anko suspected. To top it off, the medi-nin kept a safe distance to her room, barely even checking up on her. She couldn't even complain about her confinement properly.

She hated hospitals.

Searching her room for anything to keep her occupied, but finding nothing Anko finally settled for staring out her window. A flock of silver in the closest tree caught her attention. And with a start she realized that Kakashi was sitting in it. He had fallen asleep on one of the higher branches and Anko wondered if he had chosen that spot intentionally. Had he actually sat out there all day, keeping a silent vigil over her?

'I hope not. For your own sake, Kakashi, I hope you didn't hang around out there all day to watch me rot in here. You could at least have visited!'

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened to admit Kurenai, Asuma and Genma. But before she could formulate a greeting and launch a speech on the general pointlessness of hospitals, Genma interrupted her: "Alright Mitarashi, where's my senbon?"

**The End**

_This is dedicated to everyone who reviewed, you're great. Just hit that small purple button again and tell me what you think._

_-sehellys_


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